Page 51 - Hikayat-Patani-The-Story-Of-Patani 1

42 HIKAYAT PATANI
closer to B than to A. In itself it would be quite conceivable that the
Thai translation was made in 1928 from the same manuscript which was
copied on behalf of Skeat in 1899. It would be natural for both Skeat
and the Thai official to turn to one and the same local official for
information on the history of Patani. The theory of T and B deriving
from the same MS. leaves sections 40—43 of T unexplained, however.
We would then have to assume that the copyist who worked for Skeat
left out the latter part of his model, which was later on made use of by
the Thai translator, or that the latter obtained his additional information
from another source, e.g. short texts which had in one form or another
also come to be appended to A. Another possibility is that the originals
of T and B were not one and the same MS. but two closely related ones,
one with (part of) the appendices from A, and one without. Until some
other source comes to light we must leave this matter undecided.
After thus checking T against the variant readings of A and B there
are very few differences left (at least with regard to 1—39) which would
seem to require as explanation either a misunderstanding on the part of
the Thai translator, or the use by him of a different version of the Malay
text. These differences may be briefly mentioned here.
1. In T 7, the story of the illness of the first king of Patani, we read
about the royal servants promulgating the royal proclamation. After
seven days, it says, “Some people lost hope and returned by way of
Kampong Pase” (revised translation).23 In the Malay text as we
have it, there is no possible explanation for the Thai text saying that
they “lost hope”.
2. A difference between T 30 and A 37 may point to a corrupt reading
in T’s original. The Malay has Raja Bambang say quite clearly and
logically when he finds Raja cA’isyah taking the young king on her
lap: “Put my brother down; do not keep him on your lap.” The Thai
translation says, rather oddly so: “You must hand over the rulership

23 There are a few places where the English translation of the Thai text, as
published in 1967, should be revised, also in the light of the Malay text, viz.:
T7 read “Some people lost hope and returned by way of Kampong Pase”.
T28 the last words of the Sultan should read: “When I see your face safely
returned, I am as happy as if I am seeing my relative in the Siamese capital”.
T31 the end should read: “Raja Bima hacked the Sultan to death, then at the
same time Seri Uma Palawan, who had witnessed the deed, hacked Raja
Bima to death”.
T32 read “there was only a daughter named Raja Ijau”.
T33 1. 5, read “a canal to be cut from the north, boring through the mouth of
the river”.